Passover Food Drive: A Community Success

MIDDLESEX COUNTY—Jewish Family & Vocational Service of Middlesex County (JFVS) was able to provide Passover food packages to 591 individuals throughout Middlesex County. Food and monetary donations are logged and submitted to the Feinstein Foundation for a matching grant.

The Passover Food Drive is truly a community endeavor. Without the help of all of the synagogues, many individuals, and various organizations providing volunteers, and collecting, donating, and delivering food packages, this yearly event would not be the success that it continues to be.

[smartads]

The Passover project was coordinated by Ann Salzberg, a former JFVS Board Trustee, Jack Goldberg, JFVS Vice President, and Vickie Solomon, JFVS Past President. Together, they have organized the Passover Food Drive for the last ten years. Gary Steinbach, JFVS President, has planned out the driving routes and directions for the volunteers delivering food packages for the last several years.

This yearly project could not have happened without the more than 90 volunteers that helped to sort and deliver the food. Jack Steinweis, owner of the Gola Warehouse in East Brunswick, offered the use of his building to store the Passover food and to coordinate the packing and delivery of food packages.

The JFVS Kosher Food Pantry provides year round assistance to members of the community. JFVS has two food pantries, in Milltown and Monroe Township that provide perishable and non-perishable food packages to any resident of Middlesex County that demonstrates need. The Kosher food pantries require appointments so that food packages can be tailored to the number and ages of family members and specific dietary concerns.

JFVS has seen an increase in the use of the Kosher Food Pantries this past year due to the current economic conditions. In 2008, JFVS provided food to 962 individuals. In 2009, that number increased to 1,183 individuals. The Passover Food Drive saw an increase in individuals requesting assistance from 493 people in 2009 to 591 individuals receiving Passover food packages in 2010.
Passover may have passed, but the JFVS food pantries are always in need of food.

The pantries are in need of unopened, unexpired, non-perishable items such as tuna fish, dry milk packets, pancake mix, instant potatoes, rice, pasta, cereal and juice; diapers and baby wipes are also accepted. Donations can be dropped off at either the Milltown office at 32 Ford Ave, 2nd floor or the Monroe Township office at 52 Concordia Shopping Center.

Food drives make great community projects for students and organizations. To make an appointment to receive food, schedule a food donation delivery, or learn more about developing a community project, call JFVS at 1-732-777-1940 or 1-609-395-7979.